So, let me get this straight. Ms. Pineman (the subject of this New York Times article) is a loyal Obama voter and Obamacare supporter. So, she accepted the following:
- That her plan – which she liked – would go away. Despite being told – explicitly – that if she liked her plan, she could keep her plan.
- That her new plan would not pay for her favored doctor. Despite being told – explicitly – that if she liked her doctor, she could keep her doctor.
- That her premiums would be going up. Despite being told – explicitly – that her costs would go down.
- That her networks would shrink. Despite being told – explicitly – that the quality of her coverage would not suffer.
- That her co-pay for an emergency room visit went through the roof. No explicit promise that I can remember on this one, but it’s always fun to watch an Obamacare supporter discover this particular wrinkle.
So our loyal Obamacare supporter and Obama voter accepted all of this. This wasn’t enough to set her off. But being asked to drive 14 miles did:
…her frustration bubbled over when she tried to arrange a follow-up visit with an orthopedist in her Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield network: The nearest doctor available who treated ankle problems was in Stamford, Conn. When she called to protest, her insurer said that Stamford was 14 miles from her home and 15 was considered a reasonable travel distance. “It was ridiculous — didn’t they notice it was in another state?” said Ms. Pineman, 46, who was on crutches.
Seriously, shouldn’t Ms. Pineman have started screaming at about the point when she found out that she had to drop her plan in the first place? I have very little sympathy for government bureaucrats, but I almost feel sorry for the ones involved here. How were they supposed to know that Ms. Pineman routinely strained gnats while swallowing camels*?
Moral of the story: forcing a an Obamacare supporter in crutches to drive for thirty minutes infuriates them in a way that blatantly lying in their face about Obamacare in the first place apparently cannot. …Which is absurd. But, hey, you work with what you have, right?<
Moe Lane (crosspost)
*I refuse to explain that one to any wandering hard Left-lurkers. Look it up.
A church friend recently went on a blistering social media rant about OCare. She wasn’t a supporter, but she never really spoke against it. Until the other day. When it became crystal clear that she and her family, her, her husband and their 4 children, had two choices: 1) purchase an OCare plan that didn’t really help them at all; or, 2) pay the not insubstantial fine.
She was a wee bit peeved. And let everyone far and wide hear about it. To which I say….GOOD.
and yet she’ll still mindlessly vote dem in 2016. because she’s ready for hillary.
Oh I seriously doubt that. She didn’t vote for O the last time. She just wasn’t flaming mad about OCare. Until now. Sometimes there’s just nothing better than personal experience as a teacher.
Yep.
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See also Jimmy Carter.
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http://xkcd.com/1093/
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Mew
I came to that conclusion a long time ago. People usually will go along to get along until their nose is forcibly rubbed in reality.
Personal experience really is the most effective teacher.
Moe, I know that you have a policy about not mocking people like that and your reasons are quite sound. But darn it, it’s really difficult staying polite towards people like her.
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But I will snark a bit about this quote from the article: Insurers can no longer deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, for example.
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Gee, my brother who has one of the most expensive pre-existing conditions you can be born with has never had problems getting insurance. He just simply budgeted out. But someone else’s lack of ability to plan for things now becomes my problem?
Some people insist on learning the hard way.
Her real problem was that she needs to take ‘public transportation , , trains and subways up to Ct and that would take 2 – 3 hours . But she could go free market capitalist and go Uber and mb 45minutes an hour of travel . But the hit to her liberal big government world view would then simply explode her narrow little mind . It’s just so so unfair , she just whines and whines .
Jaytrain, I looked and didn’t see that in the article. It seems unlikely since it also says she paid out of pocket to go to a doctor that was closer.
I’m trying to figure out what the actual complaint was: I suspect that it wasn’t the 14-mile trip, but that it was in Connecticut, and thus, that she would have been OK with a 14-mile trip to a New York doctor.
(I will admit to having a bit of a jaundiced view about this, because I live in the DFW Metroplex and my PCP is 20 miles away, or about a 40 minute trip in each direction outside of rush hour. But I put up with it because I like her.)
I would guarantee you MsP doesn’t own a car . So that 15 miles is a 3 hour hike on subways and trains and mb cabs . It reminds her on some level of consciousness how much a failure Big Government , public transportation , really is . It also reminds her that the 15 mile thing represents a one size fits all Big Government mindset . In most of America it’s no big thing , in Pineman’s NYC 15 miles is huge , but not to the bureaucrat out in the burbs who wrote the standard . And lastly , Ms P could go Uber and see how free market capitalism works, as in really really works , but that would cause little Ms P’s narrow little mind to explode .
Ms. P may also relocate to Connecticut to be closer to her doctor. Rents are lower, for one thing.
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Mew